KARACHI: With CNG filling stations slated to close for a month from January 1, 2012, what does the government expect the millions who switched their vehicles to using this as a cheaper and more environment-friendly alternative to petrol to do?
If a survey were conducted of all those who use CNG as the primary fuel for the vehicles, I am quite sure that it would be the case that a significant majority comes from the lower-middle and middle-income segments of the population. Also, one shouldn’t forget the fact that the conversion alone, with the fitting of a CNG kit, costs upwards of Rs20,000 — all of that investment will be lost, for no fault of the car-owner.
Also, since public transport, in the cities at least, has converted to CNG, a closure of CNG stations for a month could lead to either a massive strike by them and near-absence of public transport on the roads, or a significant rise in the fares.
Those who are well off and probably never switched their vehicles to CNG in the first place, will not be affected at all by this closure. And, so, in the end, those who suffer the most will be ordinary Pakistanis who find it difficult to make ends meet in the first place.
Hadia Mukhtar Singapuri
Published in The Express Tribune, January 2nd, 2012.
